Jammu, October 22 (Scoop News)-The Jammu Kashmir Unity Foundation today organized a seminar on the topic “Invasion or Tribal Raid-1947” to observe Black Day on October 22, (The Day Pakistan Attacked the Jammu and Kashmir State in 1947).
A number of prominent speakers including Balwant Singh Mankotia, president JK National Panthers Party and MLA, Hukum Chand Sharma, Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, Sohail Kazmi, Secretary General, Press Club of Jammu, Anwar Choudhary, prominent Gujjar leader , Rajiv Chuni, President SOS, an organization of POK Refugees, Ajaat Jamwal, convenor, Jammu and Kashmir Unity Foundation and Dr. Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman Panun Kashmir spoke on the occasion. All the speakers were unanimous in the view that 22 October 1947, the day Pakistan invaded Jammu and Kashmir alongwith the tribesmen, was one of the Blackest Day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. All of them emphasizes the need of remembering this day as the Day when Jammu and Kashmir was pushed into state of instability and perpetual war after a period of peace which was prevalent in the state at that time.
Pradesh Congress Committee Secretary Hukum Chand Sharma speaking on the occasion said that Pakistan lost the war against Jammu and Kashmir because it did not want the Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir to become part of India while the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted accession with a secular India. Pakistan was also worried about the secular credentials of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as a whole and wanted to disrupt the secular harmony so that the two nation theory becomes successful.
Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of India and a mosaic of plural identities living in a spirit of peace and brotherhood. 22 October is a call to all peace loving citizens to rise and defeat the communal game of Pakistan.
National Panthers Party president and MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia said that 22 Oct 1947 is the day of invasion of Jammu and Kashmir. To call it tribal raid is a misnomer. Tribals were used by Pakistani Army as the frontal hordes to hide the nature of regular invasion of Jammu and Kashmir state. The day is the Blackest Day because this invasion broke up the state and rendered thousands and lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs as refugees in their own state. Thousands were killed and abducted during the invasion. We have to remember all those who perished during the invasion. We have also to remember that Pakistan broke up the state and captured almost half of it. The people in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are denied all rights of freedom and during these years we have only seen a sham democracy on that side and also the colonization by the Pakistani citizens.
This day reminds us of the challenges to the peace, harmony unity and integrity of the state.
Rajiv Chuni, Chairman, SOS International-An Organization of POK Refugees said that Pakistan invasion changed not only the political but historical map of the country also. He said that the area which Pakistan annexed from India in Jammu and Kashmir is being used as a safe haven for anti-India activities and is being projected as Azad Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan and the activities indigenous launched by locals.
Chuni said that Govt of India has always shied away from talking on Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan on one hand while on the other it resolved in the Parliament being legal owner of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. “The Govt of India should talk to Pakistan and ask it to vacate the illegally occupied part of Jammu and Kashmir state.
He said that historians have distorted the facts about Pakistan invasion on Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. “Human Rights of lakhs of people were violated by Pak aggression, thousands were killed, thousands abducted raped and sold in brothels in Pakistan. Rivers and wells were filled with dead bodies and refugees crossed rivers not on bridges of concrete or wood but bridges of dead bodies,” Chuni said
Anwar Choudhary, prominent Gujjar leader said that the day reminds us of the conspiracy to divide the state on communal lines. We should remember this day as a Black Day and resolve to uphold peace, harmony amongst various segments of the population in the state. The conspiracy to divide people of the state on the basis of religion is still continuing and all of us have to defeat it. Gujjars of the state have played a leading role in defeating terrorism and communalism. More than 5000 Gujjars perished while fighting terrorism in the state. This is a day which we should observe as our commitment to peace and harmony and rejection of politics of communalism and separatism.
Dr. Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman Panun Kashmir in his address said, On 22 Oct 1947, State of Pakistan declared its first war against India in Jammu and Kashmir. This was an invasion not a tribal raid. Pakistani Army conducted this invasion only using tribesmen from North West Frontier Province to disguise it as a revolt of the people against Maharaja. Tribesmen were mobilized to wage a jehad in Jammu and Kashmir and were given the specific task of religious cleansing. The Pak Occupied Kashmir was cleansed of its Hindu and Sikh population. Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were killed and thousands women were abducted and converted or sold off.
22 Oct 1947 was also the beginning of asymmetric war against India. This asymmetric war is continuing till now and devising a befitting response to put an end to this war is a challenge before India and particularly the people of Jammu and Kashmir state.
Sohail Kazmi, Secretary General, Press Club of Jammu congratulated Jammu Kashmir Unity Foundation for taking an initiative which is the need of the hour in these trying circumstances in the state. He said that by organizing the seminar on the topic of “Invasion or Tribal Raid” on Oct 22, the Pakistan launched an attack against Jammu and Kashmir State in 1947, the JKUF has given a platform to talk on the atrocities by the tribals and the Pakistan army on each and every community of the state.
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He said that political parties and bureaucracy should have taken up the initiative of revisiting history and bridging the gap between different communities and regions in the state, a task JKUF has taken in hand. He said that different voices for initiating dialogue with Pakistan have been raised from different platform, but the people of the state worst affected by the violence has been ignored and the gap between the three regions was increasing day by day.
Sohail Kazmi said that by observing BLACK DAY on Oct 22, we will pay homage to lakhs of people killed, maimed and looted in 1947 by the invaders.
Dr. Hari Dutt Shishu, Executive member of Jammu Kashmir Unity Foundation in his address said that Jammu and Kashmir state which had its boundaries touching five nations including China, Tibet, USSR has been broken by Pakistan and area belonging to the state of Jammu and Kashmir under it has been sold to China and Gilgit-Baltistan usurped by it. He said that Govt of India should aggressively take up the issue of vacation of these areas and mobilize world opinion on it.
Prominent among those present were members of the civil society, teachers, advocates, students and people from all walks of the society.
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